'you really shouldn't have traded me'.
Is that what he showed us? I thought he showed us that he needs superstars around him to be effective. Either that or he showed us that he intentionally dogged it for two seasons. Either that or he showed us the last 9 years of his career where he shot 25% from three were a lie... he could just instantly transform himself into a 38% three point shooter at any time, but was choosing not to do it, just cuz neener neener. Either that or he was showing us that Ainge was right to move him... he's a bipolar spiteful player who becomes disengaged when things aren't going his way... it lends credence to the idea that he mailed in practices and was a poor leader.
Thing is, even if you think Rondo is a superstah, tonight should just give you more reason to support that trade. Rondo clearly wasn't staying here. He clearly wasn't happy here (otherwise he would have played like that for us). He would have left us empty handed. Better to get something than nothing.
What's your rebuttal? That he would have stayed? That he loved Boston? Great... deal still had to be done. If he loves Boston so much, he can sign with us this offseason. Oh, wait... you mean to say he will only sign with a team that holds his bird rights, because it gives him the most money? Oh... so there's no budging from his "max money" requirement? Well in that case, Boston was very clearly not willing to pay a player of his caliber max money... so the deal still made sense.
I still have doubts the Rondo experiment will work that well in Dallas. I don't see a lot of evidence supporting they are better. A win against the Celtics doesn't prove anything... they beat us earlier this year and beat us in both games last year. They would have beat us either with or without Rondo. But hey, if the Rondo experiment DOES work in Dallas, good for them. He's the 4th or 5th best player there. When he was the 4th best player in Boston, we won a title. I wasn't seeing the Celtics landing 3 better players than Rondo anytime soon. He had to go.
Tell ya what... if Rondo continues to shoot like this for the rest of the season (suddenly going from 25% three point shooter to 40% world beater in Dallas), I'll be first in line to scream "SIGN RONDO!" this summer. I don't see how our position will be any different. Thanks to the move, we'll have a few addition assets to help lure in talent to surround Rondo with.
If you genuinely believe Rondo would have signed here this summer, I don't see why you wouldn't believe he'll sign here this summer now. Dirk isn't getting any younger. We have the cap space. We have the picks and talent. We can't offer him a max MAX deal using bird rights, but we can offer him a deal making like 17 mil a year.
The fans still clearly love him. If he loves Boston as much as you all want to believe, I don't see what the problem is... he'll come back, right?
Trade still made sense. Had to do it. We weren't winning a title this year. Let's bottom out, get a top pick, collect some more assets, bring Rondo back this summer and regroup.
